I have suffered with cold sores ever since I was a child. At the time, my pediatrician told my mom to treat my sores with Lysine. This absolutely works; now as an adult I treat an outbreak with both Lysine and Abreva. A typical cold sore for me lasts 7-12 days. If I catch it at the first tingle, it lasts around 3 days and is much less severe. Abreva is expensive but it does work! You can often fin...read mored coupons online. It is the only FDA approved treatment. As a side note, if you are prone to outbreaks often, if you take the Lysine supplement it keeps them gone. — 4 years, 5 months ago

I honestly would not justify the 20 bucks you pay for 1 gram of product. I don't get cold sores very often, but once I got this giant, monster cold sore the size of a pea. So I went and bough it, because my boss recommended it. I think it helped somewhat, but the cold sore still lasted a couple of days after using it and it was painful to apply it. I have used other cold sore creams before, and I guess by comparison this product is a lot better, though it does not perform miracles.
— 4 years, 9 months ago

Put this on right when you feel the initial tingle. More times than not, the cold sore will not develop and the tingle goes away. It could be more soothing and the tube gets squished in the purse, but it's small enough to always carry it around.
— 8 years, 7 months ago

The first couple times I used this I wasn't sure if was doing anything for me, but the last time (when I started as it says to at the first sign of a tingle), I definitely noticed a difference. The bumps stayed small and there were only a few, and they went away WAY (DAYS!) faster than usual. I agree now that this works, but you really do need to start using it early on to see a difference I think.
— 7 years, 3 months ago

This was expensive when you think of it in terms of lip balms but it really is a medicine and it works-really works. This is the fastest my really bad cold sore cleared up and it seems like it stopped the spreading that usually happens even when I use something. Consistency & taste fight lipstick but when a cold sore is bad cannot use that anyway. Not to be used lightly but definetely to be used when needed.
— 6 years, 12 months ago

This is supposed to shorten the life of a cold sore. It does seem to limit the severity of the cold sore and it does shorten the time the cold sore is active but it isn't a miracle cure for cold sores. Even if you put it on the area you feel a cold sore popping up BEFORE the breakout, the sore will still pop up. I have had better luck with this if I goop it on then apply a small bandage to the sit...read moree making the Abreva more effective.
A better cold sore cure that is cheaper is taking Lysine tablets, avoiding cereal (the chemical they use to process it activates the virus that causes cold sores), and if you can find it, get yourself a small chunk of rhodonite. The minerals in the rhodonite stop the cold sore from popping up. You just hold the stone on the area you feel a cold sore popping up the moment you feel that first itching/tingling and the cold sore will never pop up. You want to hold it on there as long as you can (like while you are watching your favorite tv shows or reading) I've given this advice to at least 20 skeptical people and all 20 have tried it and become cold sore free. If you can't get lysine or rhodonite then by all means try the Abreva with a bandage over it. — 1 year, 4 months ago

I love this stuff! Although its pricey it is very effective. I start applying this as soon as I feel a cold sore coming on and it prevents it from erupting into a huge gross sore. I apply it 4 or 5 times per day and the sore is gone within 2 or 3 days
— 2 years, 11 months ago